Apparatus for flotation separation.



C. F. SPAULDKNG.

APPARATUS FOR FLOTATAIOM SEPARATION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. h 1916.

Patented. Dec. 11,1917;

ATTORNE my.

) i d/fi m% INVENTOR.

BY y @0 W WITNESSES ill-WPAHATIJE FOR FLOTATIUN SEPARATION.

.Elpecification of Letters lfatent. li iflgwgmf qgqji g g, l l lllfit'l',

Application filecl February 11, 1918. eerie No. 27,65'i3.

To ail whom 7123 may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES FRANK Sraonnme, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Salt Lake City, county of Salt Lake, State of Utah, have in rented certain new and useful improvements in Apparatus for Flotation i lcparation, of which the following is a full, clear, and concise description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

hly invention relates to the flotation process of and apparatus for treutil'ig, concentrating and classifying mineral hearing ores and sends by the use of oil, air and mechanical heating and has for its object to provide an improved process-and apparatus for treating, concentrating and classifying min 0 ol hearing ores and sands.

Further objects and advantages of this invention are to materially reduce the cost and QXPQDSB of present known processes of flotation treatment for mineral hearing ores and ear-ls.

Fin objects and advantages of this invention are to improve and simplify the flotation process for mineral hearing ores and sands by providing for more accurate control of theainounts of oil and air admitted and used therein. and of the mechani cal heating; thereof, substantially as described herein.

Further objects and advantages of this invention are to allow and enable the user tl'iereof to successfully treat, concentrate and classify mineral hearing ores not now aznenalole to any known process of flotation, due to the fullness and amplitude of the mechanical heating togetltier with the use of oil and air as hereinafter set forth.

in. the accompanying; drawings fOllIllllQ: a part of this specification similar le tors and numerals of reference designate correspond ing parts throughout the two views.

lo the drawings;

Figure 1 side View of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional iew thereof.

in carrying out the invention, l provide a receptacle which may he divided into one or rnore cells 14, 1.5 and 1.6. Fig, shows the arrangement of parts Within one of these cells and by referring to this figure, it will be seen that each cell contains an air lift column l in umch heater arms 2 fastened to vertical shafts :5 are located. 4: are located outwardly of the upper edge of the air lift columns and the lower edges of the baiilc plates extend below the upper edges of said air lil'i' columns. The upper edges of the air lift columns l tially in the plane of overflow ii. charge openings (5 provide for the 12 i pulp from one cell to another .vvhcu more than one cell is used or for drawing ell the tailingge when only one cell used. fin air inlet pipe 7 and an oil inlet pipe 8 wum'mni- Cate with an upturned now/ale which (liechargcs into the lower end of the air lift column at ll). it is to be noted that the shafts carrying the heaters both rotate in. the same direction and by providing; a plu rality of shafts, ll equipped with heater arms, 2, and revolving these shafts in the same direction, the travel of the heater arms where they pass each other isin oppo ite directions. This not only gives a more efl'ectivc beating action than could he sc cured with the use of one, vertical shaft but it prevents all l'r-iiulency to set up a circular, Whirlil'ig notion of the pulp, oil. and air as it passes through the heater section of the air lift column and thereby obviates the necessity of providing hallie plates or other devices which are necessary to hrcalr up or prevent such whirling motion when hut one vertical shaft "is so used. tlince these heat ing arms are not designed to perform any lifting function or to aid in the eirculatii'ui of the pulp hut, however, perform only the function. of heating the pulp, oil and air to a froth, they may he of any suitable size or shape and may he numerous and small, whereby an ellieient limiting action is secured with less horsepower consumption than in any known system of agitation. These locotii'lg arms .2 re preferably located in an. ei'ilurged portion 9 of the air lift coluinn 1, though this enlargement is not alisolutely necessary, an d in the use of the device mineral hearing ores properly prepared by n'iilling', crushing or grinding to the neces sary fineness, or mineral hearing sands screened to the necessary fineness and mixed with a, sufiicient amount of water to inulro a. pulp of the required density is iul'r uluced into the lirst cell of the series, (where more than one cell is employed) through a feed pipe ll. pressure to overcome the pressure of the pulp is introduced through pipe 6 into the .rlalllc plates iloniprcssed air under sullicient i lower portion of the air lift column 1 by means of its connected nozzle and at a sutlicieut distance above the bottom of said air lift column so that the air will not back down but. will ascend therein. One of the functions of the air 50 introduced is to reduce the density or specific gravity 'of the pulp in said air lift column and this causes I the pulp to circulate or rise in said column due to the then dili'erence between the weight or specific gravity of the pulp within the air lift column and that of the pulp within the remainder of the cell, the pulp thus circulating repeatedly, at the pleasure of the operator, through the air lift column up past the beater arms 2 and out over the upper edge of the enlarged portions 9 of the air lift columns onto the main body of the pulp in the cell or receptacle so being treated, where the concentration or classification takes place.

The froth which is caused by the action of the beater arms when oil and air are introduced through the pipes 7 and 8, respectively and which froth contains the metals that are amenable to treatment, floats out of the cell over the overflow lips 5, the remainder of the pulp which is not beaten into a froth sinking into and mixing with the main body of the pulp to again pass through the air lift column or through the opening 6 into the next cell if the cells are arranged in series as indicated in Fig. 1, and

below the overflow lips 5 thus causing a clean froth to overflow and preventing the surging or waving of the pulp from slopping pulp over With the clean froth.

I preferto introduce the oil for flotation at or near the bottom of the air lift column and with the air as indicated but it is to be understood that the oil can be intro-- duced separatelyand at-any desired point. By introducing the oil and air in easily regulated amounts to each cell, a more ellicient control of the frothing action is socured than by any known process of flota' tion. The amount and character of the oil admittedto each cell or receptacle can be so controlled as to give a selective action on the metals in each cell.

rality of vertical shafts air and pulp are snbiecled. l have Joumi tat in actual. practice, i use less than our; tenth of the amount of oil -1 {l in other known processes of flotation for the u amount of oil and that the froth preduwri by my process is not a sticky and gonna mass but is a clean product which l handled easily as the ounceutra c a concentrating table.

' Since each air lifting column l c rculate: the oil, air and pulp through or p beater arms a number of times in s the number of used in oiher pro 0f flotation may be materially reduced. reducing the lloor space required for :1. tonnage of ore handled and consezpi-csulg. materially reducing the illrl cost of lation over other lanown derie.

In the passage of the pulp, oil and a1" through an air lift column the are in to a froth which flows out of the top p" the air lift column and underl'he lmllle into the upper part of the (fell, :a be fore set forth, the clean that rarr vi, llw metals that iloaied m' 'i vs at lu' overflow lips 1 as stated. flinimluluxv f the pulp and oil sinks i t; (he i t hath I fill ll i lrtl' placed by the iueon'iingz; pulp pa -45 in next cell if there is more than one ce n w? While the elements? own and tlibitl'lluwl are well adapted to serve the purpose -1 which they are intemlml, it is to be under-- stood that the inveul'uni not moi l to the precise construction set forth h i rhulrs: within its purview whatever chm; lairl v come within the spirit of the "uul claim.

Having claim i.

A device of th -i prising a pulp r fecdin HI ate ii a 1 man disposed ver described in inveuthu: \\h;:| l.

feeding Compres ed air and oil into the aid coluum and a art nged in column, each of said shafts ll cling in. the same direction and a plurality of heater arms carried by each of said shafts.

lower portion o In witness whereof l have hereunto w-t my hand in the presence or two '1 CHARLES FRANZ; EPA. in the presence of-- P. Arcana,

l). l'vlel 'riarc.

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